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prevenir

pre-beh-NEERpɾeβeˈniɾ

“prevenir” means “to prevent” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to prevent

Also: to avoid
VerbB1irregular ir
A person placing a sturdy wooden gate at the top of a staircase to keep a toddler safe.
gerundpreviniendo
past Participleprevenido
infinitiveprevenir

📝 In Action

Lavarse las manos ayuda a prevenir enfermedades.

A2

Washing your hands helps to prevent illnesses.

Es mejor prevenir que lamentar.

B1

It is better to be safe than sorry (literally: better to prevent than to regret).

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • prevenir accidentes – to prevent accidents
  • prevenir el riesgo – to prevent the risk

Idioms & Expressions

to warn

Also: to forewarn
VerbB2irregular ir
A person pointing at dark rain clouds in the distance to show a friend they should go inside.

📝 In Action

Le previne sobre los peligros del viaje.

B2

I warned him about the dangers of the trip.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yopreviniera
túprevinieras
él/ella/ustedpreviniera
nosotrospreviniéramos
vosotrosprevinierais
ellos/ellas/ustedesprevinieran

Present Subjunctive

yoprevenga
túprevengas
él/ella/ustedprevenga
nosotrosprevengamos
vosotrosprevengáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesprevengan

Indicative

Preterite

yoprevine
túpreviste
él/ella/ustedprevino
nosotrosprevimos
vosotrosprevisteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesprevinieron

Imperfect

yoprevenía
túprevenías
él/ella/ustedprevenía
nosotrospreveníamos
vosotrospreveníais
ellos/ellas/ustedesprevenían

Present

yoprevengo
túprevienes
él/ella/ustedpreviene
nosotrosprevenimos
vosotrosprevenís
ellos/ellas/ustedesprevienen
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "prevenir" in Spanish:

to avoid→to forewarn→to prevent→to warn→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: prevenir

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence means 'I warned her'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
prevención(prevention) — Noun
preventivo(preventative) — Adjective
prevenido(prepared/warned) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From Latin 'praevenire', which combines 'prae' (before) and 'venire' (to come). It literally means 'to come before' a problem happens.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: preventFrench: prévenir

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'prevenir' the same as 'evitar'?

They are close! 'Evitar' is just to avoid something, while 'prevenir' implies taking specific actions or being prepared beforehand so the thing never happens.

Is it 'yo prevení' or 'yo previne'?

It is 'yo previne'. It follows the same irregular pattern as 'venir' (yo vine).